Racing track or course.



PATENTED FEB. 4,1908.

J. B. GEORGE RACING TRACK 0R COURSE.

APPLICATION FILED SE PIHZ-Q, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1m: mmms warn-s co, WASHINGTON, n. c.

PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

J. B. GEORGES.

RACING TRACK OR COURSE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.24, 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

k THE mmms FEYLRS co.. WASHINI/ION. n. c

UNITED srA'rEs JEAN BAPTISTE GEORGES, OF

TOULON-SUR-ALLIER, FRANCE.

RACING TRACK 0E COURSE.

Application filed September 24: 1906- Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that J EAN BAPTISTE GEoEcEs, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at Toulonsur-Allier, Allier, France, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse-Racing and other Racing Tracks or Courses; and he does hereby clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In horse racing or cycle racing the competitors on reaching the winning post are supposed to have all covered exactly the same distance, but with tracks or race courses as at present arranged, this condition is not complied with.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan of the track or course at present used and Figs. 2 to 5 are plans of race courses or tracks constructed according to this invention.

Take for example a racing track as shown in Fig. 1 which is supposed to be 40 meters wide. The inside of the track is in straight lines 1600 meters in curves 628 meters total 2228 m. The outside of the same in straight lines is 1600 meters in curves 87 9 meters-total 247 9 m. that is 251.20 111. longer than the inside. It is easy to see that the nearer a horse is to the inside, the greater will be his chance of winning, since he will have a shorter distance to cover, in order to reach the winning post. Several possible tracks on this course are indicated by dotted lines, 1, 2, 3 placed parallel to one another and ten meters apart. This distance actu ally affects only the curved part of the course, it is always the same whatever the width of the turf inclosed by the track, but the difference between the length of the inside and the outside lines increases in proortion to the width of the course.

It is impossible that two horses starting abreast can cover exactly the same distance before reaching the winning post if they run over one of the existing courses. In order to do so they would have to run in Indian file, which is not possible.

It may be objected that the horses do not always follow parallel curves in making the turns, that they try to get as near the cord as possible. That is true, but admitting that this practice, which often gives rise to collisions between the horses and to dangerous falls for the jockeys, may reduce by one Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4:, 1908.

5 third the differences in the distances covered 1 as indicated above, the remainder of these differences would still be of sufficient importance not to be regarded as a negligible quantity. In order to obviate the disadvantages indicated, it is necessary to employ the three l means hereinafter mentioned whichmutually complete one another and constitute the new system.

1st. Abandon the old tracks in the form of 0 or preferably compensate the difierence arising from a curve by another curve in the opposite direction so that the horse whichis on the inside of the first curve shall be on the outside of the second, in a word, adopt a new course in the form of 8 which will make the distances run over any part of the track absolutely equal. The courses shown in Figs. 2 3 4 differ as regards the relative sizes of the loops, which might be adopted, and which would give the same results as far as the absolutely exact equality of the distances covered is concerned but those marked No. 2 and No. 3 appear to be the most practical in all respects for horse racing.

2d. To mark the whole length of the course with parallel guide lines, five meters apart, for example. These lines would enable the jockeys or the cyclists to keep their track (an indispensable condition) and would facilitate the checking of them.

3d. To have every race checked by two photographers who would take instantaneous views while the horses were passing. The apparatus would be placed at the two ends of the course, one inside, the other outside, so that the horses should pass in the same order before the two object glasses.

The advantages of this system are 1st. Mathematically equal distances covered. Consider the result obtained by the transformation of the primitive course into one in the form of 8 Fig. 2. The straight lines are always equal to each other. But instead of one complete circular curve there are now two such curves. The horse that is in the inside of one loop is on the outside of the other so that there is compensation and the distances covered are all exactly equal. It will be seen that all the parallel lines that can be drawn on an 8 track would be of the same length exactly.

2d. Facility for the jockeys or the cyclists to follow the compulsory direction. It is of great importance that the horses or the in which they were arranged at first.

If they could at pleasure run cyclists should keep always at the same distance to the right or to the left of the axis of the course, which is nothing other than the line 0. 2 (Fig. 2) drawn exactly in the middle. 7 successively along the, two inside lines they would reduce the distance run by them much more con siderably than in existing courses. This is why it is necessary to mark guide lines by removing the turf over a width of 20 or 30 centimeters for each line and replacing it by sand. These sandy tracks running parallel l distances apart would divide the great track into a larger or smaller number of small tracks according to the total width. Each small track would be followed by two or three horses according to the number of the starters and any horse leaving'the small track in which he was placed at the start in 1 order to come near to the center of a curve would be disqualified. By this means the collisions and consequent falls would be entirely avoided. On Velodrome tracks, which are usually not turfed the reverse would be taken, viz; the guide lines would be turfed. 3d. Perfect checking. As I the human only retains transitory impressions of objects which merely pass,-for the purpose of checking it would be replaced by the object glasses of two photographic apparatus P placed on rather high platforms in order that the whole width of the course the horses and the guide lines should be faithfully reproduced on the proofs. On these instantaneous views taken as the horses passed, itwould be easy to see whether the horses had kept the order in which they were placed at the start and whether they had followed the partial track The negatives developed by the quickest processes could be conveyed to the. committee by an overhead transporting device actuated by electricity and suspended by a conductmg wire.

With the arrangement indicated it would not be possible to make a half-round or a three-quarter round of the course,'as then all the curved parts would not be followed, and certain horses would have an advantage over the others.

Fig. 5 shows the arrangement that it would be necessary to adopt to enable the distances to be lengthened or shortened without any inconvenience. In this figure are shown 1st a straight course of more than 1000 meters for short races; 2d an 8 shaped course representing a little more than one half of the large or long one and which could be lengthened by putting back the starting point on the straight line; 3d another course like the figure 8 representing nearly three fourths of the large one; 4th the large or long course. By combining these different distances it would be possible to vary to any extent the distances to be covered which nevertheless would always be the same for all the competitors.

Hitherto only a single course has been spoken of. It is evident that two courses could be marked out side by side one for fiat races, the other for hurdle races.

In the drawings 29 p indicate the positions for the photographic apparatus and T T T denote the positions for the stands.

What he claims and desires to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A track or course for horse racing or cycle racing and the like in the form of the figure 8 and guide lines on the track for de fining the course to be followed by everv competitor, so that all the competitors shall cover an equal distance. I

2. A track or race course for horse racing or cycle racing and the like in the form of the figure 8, guide lines on the track for defining the course to be followed by each competitor and photographic apparatus placed at the two ends of the track, one inside, the other outside, for checking the positions of the horses.

3. A track or course for horse racing or cycle racing and the like enabling the dis tances to be covered to be lengthened or shortened and comprising a track in a straight line, and tracks of different lengths in the form of the figure 8 running into the straight track.

In testimony whereof he has aflixed his signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. JEAN BAPTISTE GEORGES. Witnesses:

MARIN VAoHoNY, Tnos. N. BROWNE. 

